Electric control of fluid-pressure-actuated motors.



H. ROWNTREE. ELECTRIC CONTROL OF FLUID PRESSURE ACTUATED Morons.

APPLICATION FILED APR- l2. 1917 Patented Jm. 21,1919.

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ELECTRIC CONTROL OF FLUID PRESSURE ACTUATED MOTORS. APPLICATION FILEDAPR.'I2. I917- 1,292,077. Patented Jan. 21,1919.

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COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ELLINOIS,

A CORPGEATION OF "WEST VIRGINIA.

ELECTRIC CONTROL OF FLUID-PRESSUEE-ACTUATED IilOTGRS.

Original application filed December 30, 1916, Serial No. 139.794.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAROLD Rown'rnnn,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Kenilworth, county of Cook,State of Illinois, have made a cetain new and useful Invention inElectric Control of Fluid-Pres sure-Actuated ltlotors, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to electric systems and arrangements forcontrolling the operation of fluid pressure actuated motors, forexample, motors of that type used in opening doors, gates '01 the like,and is a division of my co-pending application Serial No. 139.7% tiledDec. 30, 1916.

The object of the invention is to provide electri :ally controlledvalves for controlling the admission and exhaust of fluid pressure tothe motor without the use of intermediate controlling valve.

A further ohjcct ot the invention is to provide means for maintainingthe alve energized until thi working st eke ot the motor isa-omplctedwith but a momentary initial completion of the circuit controlling theelectricwalve.

A further object ot the invention is to provide an electricallycontrolled fluid pressure actuated door operating system which is simplein structure and arrangement, ellicient in operation and economical ofmanufacture.

Further objects of the invention will appear more fully hcreinatter.

The invention consists substantially "in the construction, relativearrangement ot parts. all as will he more fully hcreinatter set torth.as shown by the accompanying drawing. and finally pointed out in theappended claims.

Referring to the drawings.-

Figure l is a view in elevation of a fluid pressure actuated motor.partly broken away. employed in accordance with my inventiou, andshowing a circuit arrangement. o'l electrical control of the same.

Fig". 2 is a sectional view of a magnet valve employed in accordancewith my invention.

Fig. 3 is a modified structure of switch embodying my inventionn Fig. lis another modification of switch.

Specification of Letters Patent.

combination, location and .gixingz valve can be obtained Divided andthis application filed April 12,

Serial No. 161,495.

5 is av view in elevation of a door with a collapsible shoe and switchcontrol employed in accordance with my invention.

The same part is designated by the same reference numeral wherever itoccurs throughout the several views.

in the art of fluid pressure actuated 1n0- tors, and particularly in theart where such motors are employed tor operating doors, gates or thelike, to open and close the same, it is old to have a main valve forcontrolling the supply and exhaust of fluid pressure to and from thecylinder wherein the main valve is itself operated by fluid pressure ina. small auxiliary cylinder which in turn is controlled by the admissionand exhaust- 0t fluid pressure through electrical or magnet va ves,so-that the momentary energization of one or the other ot' the electricor magnet valves would shift the main valve into its desired positionfor openin the main cylinder to supply or exhaust. in such systems thedeenergization of the magnet woiild not affect the position oi the mainvalve, and therefore. the engine would complete its motion just asthough the magnet or electric valve had remained energized.

When, how .ver, it is desirable to eliminate the intermediate or mainvalve and to control the admission and exhaustv of fluid pressure to themain cylinder directly from the electrically controlled valves, it isnecessary to provide means for maintaining the electrically controlledvalves in their energized position until the engine has completed itsstroke. and means for automatically docile?- izing the valves when theengine has coinplcted its stroke. It is also desirable that it. duringthe motion of the door engine to ward one extreme or the other, it isdesired to instantly reverse the door, that this reversal can beaccomplished by the momentary encrg'ization oi the other electricallycontrolled valve, thereby not only decnerthe tirst valve. hut alsomaintaining the second or reverse valve in its energized position untilthe door engine has completed reversed movement.

is known in the art that the autcn'iatic encrggitoition of theelectrically controlled by the use of electric contacts or brushesoperated continuously in connection with the movement of the door' whenmoving in the other direction, only the other of the valves isenergized. This arrangement is subject to the objection that while thedoor can be stopped, it cannot be reversed during its motion. It is alsoknown in the art that the energization of the electrically controlledvalves can be obtained by the use of an auxiliary piston operated by thefluid pressure that is admitted to one end or the other of the cylinderof the engine, and which closes a switch which therebycloses a circuitand completes and maintains the energization of the valve until theengine has. completed its movement whereupon the auxiliary cylinder isexhausted, and the switch therefore opened, and the'circuit broken.\Vhile this is an efficient arrangement, the cost of manufacture,installation and maintainance of the auxiliary circuit closing cylindersmakes the same more expensive than the old system of employing the mainv,alve hereinbefore described.

It is among the special purposes of my present invention, therefore, toprovide a simple, cheap and efficient system wherein the intermediatevalve is eliminated, the electrically controlled valves are maintainedenergized with but a momentary initial energization, and the reversal ofthe movement of the engine can be secured at any instant. I will nowdescribe, with reference I to the drawings forming a part hereof, how

I secure the results sought as above out-lined, without direct orindirect operation by the fluid pressure admitted to the cylinder of theengine, and without any auxiliary fluid pressure control.

Referring to Fig. 1, reference numeral 10 designates the door enginewhich is provided with pistons 1 and 2 connected by rack 3 operatingin agear 4 working on shaft Piston 1 operates in cylinder 6, and piston 2 incylinder 7. The supply and exhaust of fluid pressure to cylinder 6 iscontrolled by valve 8, and to cylinder-'7, by valve 9. The valves 8 and9 are controlled, respectively, by magnets 11 and 12. The specificvalves and magnet control shown, are designated in the art magnetvalves. and

'the specific construction of the same will be more fully hereinafterset forth in connection with Fig; 2 .of the drawing. It is sufli cientat this point to state with respect there-' to that the action of themagnet valves is such that when either magnet is energized,

fluid pressure is admitted to its cylinder,

and when the magnet is deenergized, fluid pressure is shutoff and thecylinder is opened to exhaust.

maintaining the Above thegear 4 and the shaft 5, I place the two-arms ofthe pivoted switch 13, as;

shown. The switch 13 has a lower extending arm 16 against which two lugs17 and 18 on gear 4 make contact, one or the other of said lugs 17 or 18making contact with arm 16 just as the door completes its motion in onedirection or the other, thereby opening and disconnecting switch 13either at contact 14 or contact 15, as will be readily understood, oneof saidcontacts becoming open circuited, and the other contact beingslightly depressed against its spring. It will be readily-seen that assoon as the engine begins its motion from either of its extremepositions, the lug 17 or 18 as the case may be, moves away from the theswitch to assume itsnormal position, connecting. and completing thecircuit be tween contacts 1 1 and 15, and return 40 as shown.

At any switches, preferably push button switches illustrated at 19 and20. These push button switches are held normally in one extreme positionin any suitable manner, for example by springs 19 and 20 When so held,switch 20 completes circuit connection between contacts 21 and 22, andswitch 19 completescircuit between contacts 23 and 24. When swltch- 20is depressed, it breaks the circuit between contacts 21 and 22, andestablishes the connection between contacts 25 and 26, and when switch19 is depressed, it breaks the circuit between contacts 23 and 24, andestablishes the connection between the contacts 27 and 28 I also employtwo automatic magnets 29 and 30 for the purpose of automaticallyenergization of magnets 11 and 12. The small magnets 29 and 3O operaterespectively on armatures 31 and 32, and when magnet 29 is energizedarmature 31 comes in contact with contact 33, and when magnet 30 isenergized armature 32 comes in contact with contact 34.

I also show at 35 a diagra'mnatic illustration of the'controller of thecar orthebralre control, or both of them, in which 36 represents thecontroller arm or handle, and carries contact strip 37which establishesa circuit connection between the two contacts 38 and 39 when thecontroller arm or brake lever 36 is in off or on position, as the casemay be, that is, if the arm 36 is the controller handle the handle wouldhave to be in off position, with the car at rest. but if the arm 36 isthe brake lever, the lever would have to be in on position, with theactuating arm 16 of switch13, and thereby allowing suitable location, Iprovide brakes applied. I will now describe the operation of the svstem.

Let us suppose that th door and the door engine are at an intermediateposition as shown in this drawing and in that case switch 13 makescontact with both contacts Li and 15. Let us suppose that the openpushbutton is depressed. making contactbetween contacts and Q6. Thefollowing circuit then is completed:

From the source of supply 40, wire 80 to Contact to contact wire S1 tothe frame ll ofnragnet 29 through said magnet 29, thereby energizingsaid magnet wire 82 to magnet 11, through said magnet l1, wire 83 tocontact R5 to switch 13 and to the return wire 8%. This energizes bothmagnet 29 and magnet 11. The moment magnet 29 is energized ari'nature 31makes contact with Contact point 33 whereupon the following circuit iscompleted;

-From source of supply 40, ire S0 to contact 38 to contact 39, assumingthat arm 36 is in its off position. then to wire 35 to cmtact ofpushlmtton it) then to contact 53%, wire 86, and then to contact toarmature 31 to frame 41 then through the magnet 29 and wire 8:? thenthrough magnet 11 and wire through contact 15 through switch 13 and tothe return wire The finger therefore ma oe instantly witherawn frompushbntton 20 and magnets '29 a.- d 11 will continue to be energized.and. therefore, magnet continue to so operate its lve sure will beadmitted to cylinder L he moved toward open position action or" on canbe arrestet no ilitlcrent ways. an or all 01 inich to break the circuit,that is, decnergize n 29 and 11.

If. for example. the controller arm 36 moved from its off position itwill break this circuit and therefore deenergizc n'iaanets 29 and 11 andrestore them to their normal position and therefore exhaust cylinder (3leaving the engin dead. Again. it the door has completed its motion sothat stop 18 has touched arm 16 of switch 13 it will break contactbetween switch Y13 and contact 15 and thereby break the same circuit andtherefore decnergize magnets 29 and ll so that this will happen at the.end of the stroke of the cylinder ii the cylinder should not hepreviously arrested in its motion.

It will be noticed also. it may be mentioned this point. the it thefinger is kept on button 2th thereb v energizing mag;-

imlepcadentlv oi the addi tional enere zing circuit that comes throughcontacts a d 24'. that when the engine has completed its motion bothenergizing cirnets 29 and coils are broken as ti iv both return throughswitch 13 and there c. it the pushbuiton 20 is depressed when the dooris wide open or the puslibutton 19 depressed when the door is fullyclosed it will not energize its respective magnet.

A third way of arresting the motion of the engine is by depressing theopposite button. For example, suppose the door is moving toward openposition. this movement having been initiated. by momentarily depressingbutton 20; let us suppose that while this motion of the door engine isin progress'lmtton i9 is momentarily depressed. The moment this happensthe secondary circuit that is energizing magnets '29 and 11 and whichpasses through contacts '23. 21 is broken and therefore as in the othercases or other means of arresting the further motion of the door, thesupply of air is shut oil from cylinder 6 and cylinder 6 is exhausted tothe air and the engine becomes dead. In this case. however. a furtheraction is effective. The moment the depressing or" button 19 makescontact between 28 and 27. then magnet will be energized as follows:

From the source of supply 40 wire and 87 through contact 27. contact 28wire 88, magnet frame 42. magnet 30. thereby energizing the magnet. thenthrough wire 89 to magnet 12 thereby also energizing this magnet, wire90. cents 1%. switch 13 and to the return. This will. by energizingmagnet 12. turn air into the opposite cylinder 7 and as the dcinergriziiur oi magnet ll has opened cylinder (3 to exhaust. the motionof the engine will be instantl reversed and moved toward closedposition. and even although the finger is instantly removed from buttoni l the engine will continue toward its closed position as the circuitpassing through magnets 30 and 12 will be continued by a similarsecondary circuit to that which has alreadv been described as continuingthe enerizization of magnets 29 and l1nainel v. from wire 80 wire 92.contact 26. contact 22, wire 93. contact 34. armature 32. magnet 30.wire 89. and then on as above described.

llt will be noticed that i do not prefer to bring the secondary circuitof magnet 30 through the contacts on the 'ar control. and my object isas follows; lt is conceivable that times may arise when it is desirableor necessar to open a door while a car is in motion. but these times areexceptional and it is desirable. therefore. that if the conduc tor ormotorman or whoever operates the door. should inadverlcntl do so whenthe car is in motion that the operation will be somewhat ditl crcnt fromwhat it was under normal conditions and l therefore so arra ip'cdmatters that in opcniu; the door the linger must be kept wmtinuouslv onthe button it the car controller is not in of? po silion or the doorwill not continue to open. the car controller is in oil position a butif momentary touch on the open button will cause the door to open wideopen. or until it is arrested by moving the controller or by touchingthe closed button.

In closing the door. however. no such safeguard is necessary as itshould be possible to close the door under any and all conditions.

It will be noticed, therefore. that the momentary touch on the openingor closing button not only starts the door in the desired direction butcauses the door to continue in that desired direction unless arrested byone or the other means provided for the purpose, and that no auxiliaryparts operated by the compressed air. either the action of the pistonitself or of its connect:

ing mechanism or theact-ion of an auxiliary cylinder operated bythe'compresscd air. is' necessary for this automatic action inholdingtheen ergized valve in its energized position. It will be noticed alsothata: momentary touch on the opposite pushlhitton- \vill' not onlyarrest thefurther.motion of the door but will instantly" reverse itsmotion. It will be noticed also that in the event of the switches thatautomatically hold the electrically controlled valves in energizedposition being inadvertently closed, for exampleby the shake or jar ofthe car while in motion. at a time when they are not de- 'siredto beClosed. that they will have no .efifect in causing the door to openbecause the opening circuit that they control to be complete must comethrough.eontacts 38 and 3S) and the arm 36 of the controller being movedfrom off position, because we hav assumed the car is in motion. therewould be nocircuit completed and. therefore. even should magnet switch.29 be jarred into closed position it would not. cause the door to open,thereby eliminating one of the chief objections hitherto found in thecontinuous throw-over switch heretofore used for the self-e-nergizationof the, electrically controlled valves. 7

The electrically controlled valve'is illustrated in Fig. 2 in which -15is the armature which is pulled downward while the magnet is energized.This downward movementv of armature 45 depresses pin 46 and closesvalve47 against its seat and opens valve 51 from it scat. \Vhen the 'nnugnetis dei nergized. spring returns valve 51 to its seat. and opens valvefijrom its seat. When, therefore. the magnetis dei nergized port 4 whichconnects to the cylindelthat is controlled -by the valve. is openedthrough open valve 47 and port 48 to the atmosphere and thereforeexhausts the cylinder and the pressure which is connected to port 50 isprevented from entering the cylinder through port 4! by valve 51 beingclosed by tl action of spring 52. lVhen. however. the magnet. isenergized aiul valve- 47 closed and valve 51 opened then the pressurefrom port 50 can enter the cylinder through valve 51 an port, 49 butcannot pass to the atmosphere a valve 7 is closed.

Where lubricant is inclosed in the casing 90, which incases the gear-l-. to prevent sucl 1 lubricant from splashing upon the switche 14 and15 and impairing the conductivity of contact thereof. I emplo a.slightly modified structure as shownnin Fig. 3 wherein'the switch 13 ispivotally secured to the top of the casing 90 with its arm 16 pro ectingtherein. .but with its arms which cooperate with the switches 1t and 15outside of the casing. The actuation of the switch 13 by the gear 4. andthe consequent control of switches Hand 15 is the same as has al- -readybeen described in connection with Fig. 1-. 4

j 7 Again. it may be advantageous to equip the door that is operated bythis engine with anautomatic shoe so that if the door strikes anobstruction in closing, this motion will be j arrested. or it may bedesirable not only to .arrcst the door so long as the obstructionremains there but to actually reverse the doo and open it away from theobstruction,

I have shown on Fig. 5 a door 54 with rollers 55-55 running on track 56.The.

front of this door 54 is equipped with 'a shoe Y 57 which is hung on.two parallel short levers and 59 which are pivoted attit) and 61 to thedoor 54 so that the shoe by gravity tends to like a forward position andwhen depressedtoward the door; is caused to rise upwardly .at the sametime.

Above the door I place a horizontal track or member (3:2 which is hungon two parallel short leve'rs' (33 and (it which are pivotedrespectively at 65 and (36. An extension on the top of shoe 57ridesinnnediately under the track 13:2 so that it just clcals the same whenthe shoe 5? is in its normal forwardly position. but. the moment theshoe is depressed by striking an obstruction it rises against track (32and raises track (52. thereby swingiug the levers (33 and (34 on theirpivots (if) and (i6,

Lever (H has a second arm '67 attached thereto and when, the shoe is inits normally forward position this lever makes contact bctween contactstih and (it) and while the shoe is (lcpressed and therefore raised itcauses lever 67 to make contact between contacts T0 and 71. Now it willbe remembered that the secondary opening circuit'of the door is broughtthrough contacts 38 and 3!) on the controller but the secondary closingcircuits were not so brought. Now if this secondary through contact(58-139 with which lever (57' normally makes-contact, then undernori'nal conditions the secondary closing circuit will always beoperative. but if while the door was closing. the shoe should bedepressed by the door striking an obstruction then the closing circuitwere brought mean? circuit would be broken at point 6869 and thereforethe magnet would be deenergized and the compressed air from the closingend of the cylinder would be exhausted and the engine would be dead' If,in addition to this, a wire from the main source of supply 40 would bebrought to contact 70 and contact 71 should be connected direct tomagnet 11 by wire 95, then when the shoe is depressed it will not onlydenergize the closing magnet but will energize the opening magnet 11 andcause the door to recede from its obstruct-ion and in this case as thesecondary circuit through the small magnet 29 had not been completed thedoor would not continue its opening movement after the shoe 57 hadresumed its normal position and the door would therefore draw back theobstruction just far enough to clear it.

Again, if it is desired that when the door is closing and strikes anobstruction it shall not only be stopped in its further motion and notonly withdrawn from the obstruction but should resume its closing motionas soon as it has cle red the obstruction then the followingarrangementwould be made:

Referring to 4. arm (3? (which is the same arm 67 of Fig. makes contactin a slightly different way with its contact points. ft makes continuouscontact with contact T5 in the particular form shown and contact witheither contact 73 or 74: according to whether the shoe is in its forwardposition or in its depressed position, and in the intermediate positionit makes contact with both 73 and Ti, that is, it does not break contactwith 73 until after it has made contact with 7 Now if, in place of thewiring as describ ed in connection with Fig.5, the wire that. leads fromthe dos ing secondary magnet 30 to the closing magnet 12 should be firstbrought to contact 75 and then contact 73 connected to magnet 12 thenthe normal operationof the door would be exactly as heretofore describedas the circuit from magnet 30 to magnet 1:2 would be completed wheneverthe shoe is in its forward normal position. If, however, the shoe isdepressed then arm 67 Would travel from contact '73 to Hand if contact 71 was connected by, another wire to the opening magnetll. then thesecondary circuit that was passing through the magnet 30 wouldbetransferred from the closing magnet 12 to the opening magnet 11. isnecessaryia in this connection that the arm 67 should goalie contactwith 7e before it loses Contact with '73 as otherwise magnet 30 would hedeenergized momentarily in the and would drop its armature, there bybreaking the secondary circuit. The moment, therefore, the shoe is dpressed the closing magnet 12 is deene zed and the opening magnet 11 isenergized, thereh the air is again placed in cylinder air in cylinder 6and starting the door toward open position again, but the moment theshoe resumes its normal position the circuit is again made throughmagnet 12 and broken through magnet 11, and, therefore,

7 and exhausted in cylinder 6 and the door resumes its closing movementautomatically and this action will continue until the door is fullyclosed.

lt will be noticed also that when the door is fully closed, that as ithas been heretofore mentioned, the closing circuit is broken by theswitch 18 and therefore no circuit can be completed through the closingmagnet 12, and therefore, even if someone in the car should depress theshoe, they will not thereby complete a circuit through magnet 11 becausedepressing this shoe only transfers a secondary circuit from one magnetto another but does not itself complete the sec ondary circuit.

While l have shown and described various structures and arrangementsembodying the principles of my invention, I wish it to be understoodthat my broad invention, as defined in the claims, is not to be limitedor restricted to any specific arrangement or to any detail thereof, asit is obvious that many modifications and changes in detail will reacilyoccur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit ofmy invention. Therefore, having now set forth the objects and nature ofmy invention, and having shown and described an operative structureembodying the principles thereof, what I claim new and useful and of myown invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is,

1. The combination with a door, of a fluid pressure actuated motor forcontrolling said door, electrically operated means for con trolling saidmotor to open said door, a circircuit of the door closing means.

2. The combination with a. door of a fluid pressure actuated motor forcontrolling said door, electrically operated means for controlling'saidmotor to open said door, a circuit therefor, electrically operated meansfor controlling said motor to close said door, a circuittherefor, aswitch in each of said circuits and means actuated by an obstructionmeeting the door in its closing movement for operating said switch toopen the circuit of the door closing means, and for simultaneoi'islyoperating the switch to close door opening circuit.

The combination with a door. iiuid pressure actuated-motor forcontrolling said door. electrically operated means for controlling saidmotor to open said door, a circuit therefor, electrically operated meansfor controlling said motor to close said door, a circuit therefor, aswitch in each of said circuits and means actuated by an obstructionmeeting the" door in its closing movement for operating said switch toopen the circuitot' the doorclosing means, and for simultaneousl)operating the switch to close the door opening tomatically rcclosingsaid door closing circuit when the obstruction to the closing movementof the door has been removed.

pressure actuated motor for controlling said door. electricall operatedmeans for controlling said motor to open said door, a circuit therefor,electrically operated means for controlling said motor to close said(1001',

circuit, and means for aua circuit therefor, a switchin each of saidcircuits and means actuated by an obstruction meeting the door in itsclosing movement for operating said switch to open the circuit of thedoor. closing means, and for simultaneously operating the switch toclose the door opening circuit, and means for automatically reclosingsaid door closing circuit and simultaneously reopening said door openingcircuit when the obstruction 'to the closing movement of the door hasbeen removed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of thesubscribing i. The. combination with a door, of a ,fluld witpesses, onthis 26th day of March A. D., 191

HAROLD ROWNTREE. lVitnesses GEORGE A. SUITS, Banner SEVERSEN.

